Star-Ledger File PhotoGiants cornerback Terrell Thomas will try rehabbing his knee after three visits to doctors revealed the ACL injury he suffered to his surgically repaired knee is believed to be minor.

Tom Coughlin announced after today’s practice the Giants’ cornerback is on his way back after the team’s doctors, his surgeon and noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews conferred and decided Thomas can try rehabbing his knee, which swelled at the start of camp.

The team’s medical staff said Thomas suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament and that’s still apparently the case. However, the injury was deemed minor and the hope is Thomas can continue to strengthen the area and possibly return this season.

“We’ll try to rehab him and see how he does and if he can get back on the field, to do so,” Coughlin said. “He’s coming back to camp, he’ll jump into a rehab program, we’ll watch him very, very closely, we’ll hopefully accelerate the strengthening of the knee and see how soon he can join us and we’ll hope for the very best.”

Coughlin didn’t want to get into specifics (i.e. whether the ligament is partially torn, stretched, loose, etc.), but considering the grim faces he and the players had last week, the fact Thomas even has a shot to get back this season is the best-case scenario.

“I think it is,” Coughlin said. “That’s the best way to put it.”

It was initially believed Thomas might have to undergo a scope to determine the full extent of the injury. Coughlin said no procedure has been performed and indicated there isn’t one planned anytime soon.

As for a timetable for Thomas’ return, Coughlin said, “I wouldn’t even try to guess that.” Frankly, there’s a chance there will be no return, that Thomas’ knee won’t respond favorably and he’ll have to be shut down again.

“That’s the whole idea is to find out. So here we go,” Coughlin said. "He’ll jump in there and I’m sure he’ll go hard. He came to see me before he left for (the visit with Andrews) and he would call me. As it plays out, I’m out here (at practice) and he’s trying to call me.

“But he feels very positive about it. He told me before he left he really doesn’t have any pain, he does not feel instability and the knee was not swollen. He went down and Dr. Andrews pretty much agreed what the other doctors have said. Let’s try to rehab him and see if we can get him back on the field.”

Coughlin was then pressed on whether the cutting asked of a cornerback will make things worse for Thomas.

“I like your questions. I think they’re great,” he said with a laugh. “That would be wonderful if he went out there and did all these zigzags and came off and had no swelling and felt great and said, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ But I can’t tell you what the answer’s going go be when he does all of that.”